Jamaica-UK jazzer Gary Crosby is presenting a special interactive concert on Friday
21 November at
the Purcell Room as part of this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival – Coleridge Goode: A
Celebration.
It’s a tribute to the legendary Jamaican double bassist, Coleridge Goode, who celebrates his 100th
birthday at
the end of this month (29th). The occasion will be marked by a
concert combining live music, conversations, literary
readings, photography and film,
 |
| Gary Crosby(left) with Coleridge Goode |
Joining Crosby on stage
will be Byron Wallen(trumpet), Aleksandra Topczewska (alto sax), Omar Puente (violin), Alex Ho (piano), Shirley Tetteh (guitar),
and Moses Boyd (drums), and a panel of guest speakers
including the beautiful vocalist Elaine Delmar,
broadcaster and jazz historian Alyn Shipton,
saxophonist Denys Baptiste, biographer Roger Cotterrell, and Goode family
friend Colleen McIntyre. The speakers will offer insight into Coleridge’s career and, sharing
personal memories, shine a light on a life in jazz that began a few
months after the outbreak of the First World War.Chairing the panel, and
weaving it all together will be journalist and broadcaster Kevin Le Gendre.
Goode is one of the most important musicians ever in the
history of jazz and jazz bass. He worked with so many musical luminaries
from Stéphane
Grappelli and Django Reinhardt,
to George Shearing and Joe Harriott, Shake Keane to Leslie ‘Jiver’ Hutchinsonto John Mayer.
He even played for the late British Labour Prime Minister, Harold Wilson at 10 Downing Street. He also
featured in the Ray Ellington Quartet famed as the house band on
BBC Radio’s irreverent comedy programme, The Goon Show that featured Spike Milligan, Peter
Sellers and Harry Secombe.
In
addition to his contribution as a player, Coleridge is credited as the
person who came up with the idea of the double bass pickup to amplify the sound
of the instrument, marking a major development in the evolution of bass
performance.
Crosby first met Coleridge in Earl’s Court around 1980 when he was working in a West
African restaurant across the road from a club where he used to play.
He describes the bass man as incredibly generous towards us younger musicians, always happy to share
information on the history of jazz in Britain. He was especially excited about
his work with the great Joe Harriott – "Coleridge is the last surviving member
of Harriott’s innovative Quintet – and my conversations with him
inspired me to conceive a concert in tribute to the saxophonist as part of
the London Jazz Festival some years ago."
"Do come along to Coleridge Goode: A
Celebration on Friday
21 November and
join me in celebrating the 100th birthday of the consummate Lord Of The Lower Frequencies. Sadly,
he is now too frail to attend in person, but we hope to record the
concert for Coleridge so he can enjoy listening back to it when we celebrate
with him on his birthday. And guess what? Though age may
have forced him to lay down his bass, you can still hear
him scatting along to music whenever it gets to the bass solo!"
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